Take a vow: Detroit Marathon runners marry during the race

25,307 runners and athletes registered for the weekend of races

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Steven Phillips and new bride Whitney Phillips exchange vows during their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo

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Whitney Black and Steven Phillips were girlfriend and boyfriend Sunday morning when they lined up for the start of the 41st Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon.

When they crossed the finish line together 4 hours and 47 minutes later, Whitney and Steven Phillips were officially husband and wife.

The Grand Rapids-area couple became the first to get married during the Detroit marathon. The annual event has been the setting for several marriage proposals, but never before had anyone tied the knot in the middle of the 26.2-mile race.

The bride and groom were among the 25,307 people registered for this weekend's lineup of races, which, along with the marathon, included two half marathons and a marathon relay as well as a Saturday 5K and new 1-mile race. That was below the record of 26,733 registered participants, set in 2015.

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Steven Phillips and new bride Whitney Phillips exchange rings during their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Whitney Black gets help with her veil from April Black before her wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Steven Phillips and his new bride Whitney Black hold hands druing their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Steven Phillips and his new bride Whitney Black hold hands druing their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

New bride Whitney Phillips sported sneakers decorated for her wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Steven Phillips and new bride Whitney Phillips exchange vows during their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Steven Phillips and new bride Whitney Phillips kiss before getting back on the course after their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

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The one hitch of the day concerned the smartphone software for spectators to track the real-time progress of runners. The app was nonfunctional for much of the race.

Bennage said she was as frustrated as anyone with the app and its history of race day failures in recent years.

"I am waiting to hear from the company that we work with. We've had trouble tracking runners ever since we've tried tracking runners," she said. "I don't know if it's our proximity to Canada or being around all these tall buildings or having thousands of people trying to do this at the same time."

Whitney and Steven's wedding happened in downtown Detroit just before the marathon's halfway point at mile marker 13.1. They made the event short — about 10 minutes — to keep their muscles from getting cold for when they hopped back in the race.

After exchanging vows and rings and gulping shot glasses of blue Gatorade, Whitney jettisoned her veil as she and Steven sprinted to rejoin the field of runners.

The newlyweds ran the second half of the marathon together. Once at the finish line, they shared a long kiss for the news cameras.

"I couldn't have done it without my awesome pacer," Whitney, who had never before run a full marathon, said of her husband, who previously accomplished 13 marathons.

Opinions were split as to Sunday's cool temperatures, which were in the mid-30s to low-40s. Some runners appreciated the crisp weather for prodding them to faster times. But others found it downright chilly and uncomfortable.

"I’m from Texas, so it was a little cold," said Rebekah Palaian, 37, who moved this year to Lake Orion. “But I PR’ed by about 40 minutes, so it worked in my favor."

"I’ve run so many other marathons, but nothing beats Detroit," he said. "Everyone is friendly in Canada, you come back through Corktown, Mexicantown, Indian Village, then Belle Isle — it’s just beautiful. It's so much fun. Never a boring moment."

John Wierenga, 25 of Grand Ledge, MI, right responds to the cheers from the Lululemon cheering squad as he runs the Marathon down 18th Street during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press

Lisa Reichmann, 44 of Gaithersburg, MD raises her fist up in the air as she is getting cheered by the Lullulemon cheering squad while running the Marathon down 18th Street during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press

Marathoners Mike Bonarski of Buffalo, N.Y., and Lyubov Denisova of Gainesville, Fla., make their through the Indian Village neighborhood during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press

Lena Hunt, 7, made a sign the night before to cheer fir the runners in Indian Village neighborhood during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press

Steven Phillips and new bride Whitney Phillips exchange vows during their wedding ceremony held at the half way point of the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Zachary Ripley of Rockford crosses the finish line in first place for the men during the International Half Marathon during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Christopher Kipyego of Zacatecas crosses the finish line in first place for the men during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Sarah Boyle of Brighton crosses the finish line in first place for the women during the International Half Marathon during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Runners take off for the first wave of the half and full marathon, during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press

Handcyclists place their hand over their heart as the U.S. National Anthem is sung, during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press

Runners take off in waves for the half and full marathon down Fort street, during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press

Alissa Folger, 33, of East Lansing, waits with other runner in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel a block from the start of the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press

Jannell Jones 7, is full of excitement as she and her mother Victoria Jones of Southfield wait for the People Mover to go watch her dad run in the the 41st Annual Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday,Oct. 21, 2018. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Volunteer Dawn Tack of Farmington Hills hugs her niece Laura Tack of Rochester Hills after she finished her first marathon during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Tack volunteered in order to see her finish her race. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Newlyweds Whitney Black and Steven Phillips of Kentwood share a kiss at the finish line for cameras after finishing the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. The couple got married during the race. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Viji Velayutham (left) and Muthusamy Sivanantham, both of Northville, pose for a selfie with their medals after finishing the International Half Marathon during the 41st Annual Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Whitney and Steven Phillips met five years ago through the website OkCupid. Neither of them wanted a traditional ceremony, and so because of their shared passion for running, they decided the Detroit marathon would be a perfect wedding location.

Their life journeys to Sunday's starting line weren't easy.

Whitney only recently began running after having barely survived a horrific accident 14 years ago when her snowmobile was hit by a car traveling in the wrong lane on a private drive.

Her recovery required 20 surgeries and years of physical therapy. She did not take up running until March 2017, when Steven encouraged her to try it. He then surprised her by signing her up only a month later for her first 5K race.

Whitney had another close call in September 2017 while running outside in preparation for a Grand Rapids half-marathon.

In an interview before Sunday's race, she recalled how the driver of an SUV ignored a stop sign as she was crossing a road.

The SUV "hit me and knocked me down to the ground. I quickly got back up and looked right at him — I know he looked at me — and he took off."

The SUV didn't stop and sped away before Whitney could get its license plate number. Fortunately, her injuries weren't too severe, but she did need wrist surgery.

“What hurt the most is knowing that someone can just do that to someone and not care,” she said of the hit-and-run driver.

Although he is now fit and slender, Steven once tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds before he took up running about eight years ago. His journey from a sedentary lifestyle to marathon running began on the track at the former Michigan Athletic Club in Grand Rapids.

"I couldn’t run more than one lap on the track, which was about one-sixth of a mile," he recalled. "I would run a lap, walk a lap, and build up from that.”

Steven has since lost 130 pounds and completed 14 marathons.

The idea for a mid-race wedding was originally Whitney's, who joked early this year about how fun it might be to get married during a race.

The couple initially intended to keep their wedding/race plans a secret so that they could surprise everyone afterward. But they decided to share their plans with family and friends following the sudden death last week of Whitney's father, Gregg Black, 67, so that loved ones could watch the ceremony .

"So not only did Whitney run her first marathon, but we got married," Steven said.